Community Groups Sue City over Broadway Triangle

Opponents of the controversial plan to develop the 31-acre area of East Williamsburg called the Broadway Triangle sued the city yesterday in Supreme Court, charging racial and religious discrimination as well as failure to comply with due process. The coalition of 40 North Brooklyn community groups alleges that the plan for 1,895 new units of housing favor the Hasidic community by including a disproportionate number of three- and four-bedroom apartments to house larger Jewish families and by capping building height at eight stories, since Jews can’t take the elevator on the Sabbath. The suit points out that nearly half of the public housing in the area is currently occupied by Hasidic Jews, despite federal court orders requiring the end of discriminatory practices and despite the fact that the waiting list for such housing has remained at over 90 percent Latino and African American for more than 30 years. It also claims that the Ridgewood-Bushwick Senior Citizens Council and the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg received exclusive development rights in a no-bid process through their connections to Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Williamsburg), and that the city failed to submit its plans for review by Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Community Board 3, as required by land use regulations. Addressing some of these claims back in July, Councilman David Yassky (D-Williamsburg) said, “I want more housing, but I don’t want skyscrapers in the middle of Brooklyn … I can’t imagine that there are real grounds for a lawsuit.” GMAPRacial and Religious Discrimination Alleged in Triangle [NY Daily News]City Sued over Triangle Rezoning [Brooklyn Paper]Triangle Debate Goes On over Eminent Domain [Brownstoner]The Voice Calls Out Lopez [Brownstoner]Markowitz Endorses Lopez’s Triangle Plan [Brownstoner]

Jews can’t take the elevator on the Sabbath? WTF? Elevators weren’t even invented in the Old Testament, Torah, or whatever the fairy tale they choose to use is called. First they can’t tear toilet paper or even change their babies diaper, and now elevators? Sheesh. Glad I’m agnostic.

being that this is a hasidic area why should it be any surprise that half the public housing in the area is for hasidics? The Marcy project are almost all Black and Latino does this mean that no more public housing for blacks and latinos should be allowed in that area? Should no more Black or Latino people be allowed to move into those projects. Black and Latino groups are living in a glass house. Who are they kidding? They are the rascist

IJ- I don’t know that there is any official policy- in fact that would be unconstitutional, but I have no doubt they can make it very difficult. I’m Jewish and I hate this kind of behavior. And I’m sure many will use this thread as an opportunity to bash Jews, Blacks and Hispanics. In fact, they already started.

according to there own arguments since half the public housing in the area is for Hasidics no more should be provided. Based on that premise since I am sure that half the public housing in NYC is used by Blacks and Latinos no more should be provided or it is racial discrimination

I don’t get the elevator issue — don’t most high-rises with even a modest number of observant Jews have a Shabbas elevator that runs continuously and stops on every floor? Or am I missing something here?

The issue as I understand it is that the area in question is mixed in terms of its residents. A large number of Hispanic families live in close proximity to a large number of Hasidic families. When public housing is built in the area one would think that the occupancy would reflect the mix in the area but apparantly it does not. The Satmar Hasidic constituents get the lion’s share of housing. They are very insular and conservative and view everyone outside their tight circle with suspicion, it is not merely an anti-Hispanic thing. They have a great deal of political and financial clout (which begs the question of why they should have public housing built for them in the first place), but in Brooklyn, no politicain will raise the question and risk alianating the Orthodox vote, or worse, be called an anti-semite in the press. That’s the reality here.

I think its a sad commentary on the state of most of our politics today that no matter what group you are, if we don’t get our way we call the other side anti-semitic or racist. Even sadder- our politicians have become so spineless they forget they have a diversity of constituents and will sell out anyone for anything.

The hasidic community’s clout comes from both block voting and political contributions. There are more Hispanics in Brooklyn than Hasidim and yet Hispanic groups have nowhere near the same political clout.
In terms of the suit, most black and hispanics families tend not to be that large in NY so the question of whether the proposed apartment sizes really matches a diverse demographic is a valid question.

The Hasidics are treating the North side of Bedford Stuyveasnt like the West Bank. Building at any cost without restrictions. They are still on pace to complete their goal, unite the Jewish communitty from Williamsburg to Brighton Beach.

Bubble — NYCHA has a long history of favoring whites over blacks and latinos in the distribution of “choice” public housing. In the 80s and early 90s, NYCHA actually published separate availability lists (the lists prospective tenants are given showing where there are public housing openings) with “W”s and “B”s at the top. The “W” lists were shown to whites, and the “B” lists were offered to blacks and latinos. The “W” lists routinely listed projects in Staten Island, the lower East Side and Queens (nicer projects, if you will) as available that did not appear on the “B” lists. The Legal Aid Society sued NYCHA over these practices in a case captioned Davis v. NYCHA, and to settle the suit NYCHA entered into a consent decree agreeing to offer blacks and latinos apartments in the better projects.

The Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund also brought suit against NYCHA for giving Jewish tenants in the Williamsburg projects preferential treatment over black and latino tenants. The allegations were that Jewish tenants were allowed to bend the rules (e.g., one tenant living in a 3 bedroom apt, which is grounds for NYCHA to move the tenant to a studio or 1 bedroom) in ways that black and latino tenants couldn’t. I believe NYCHA entered into a consent decree in that case as well.

So the fact that black and latino tenants are suspicious of NYCHA is not unfounded.

I am making a big assumption here that you’re not a WASP and if you’re not, after Hitler finished with the Jews, guess who would be next on his list. Read a bit of History will ya?

AND after making a polite argument, here is another one, WHY DON’T YOU SHUT THE FUCK YOURSELF AND COME TO ANY OF THE BROWNSTONER GATHERINGS AND SAY THAT FUCKING QUOTE DIRECTLY TO MY FACE? LET’S SEE WHO WILL END UP STANDING!!!!!!

Kens- Crooklyn is a mere worthless P.O.S speck on the ass of a fruit fly. He would never show up, never confront anyone because people like him are cowards. They have nothing,they accomplish nothing, they are nothing.

Oh wait- let me take the back. They do accomplish something. They make themselves look like the trash they are.

BBB- that has nothing to do with Crooklyn. Crooklyn is a brainless, no talent, uneducated neo nazi who is an embarrassment to Spike Lee. Don’t use racism to argue with him- it gives him fuel for his misbegotten worldview.

Stick to the topic? Why don’t you take your own advice And don’t even give us that “I’ve swallowed remarks” crap. You’ve got some real social and psychological issues- you think anyone in their right mind would think you are capable of a rational conversation after that Hitler remark? Wow- you’re even dumber than I thought- and I didn’t give you the brain capacity of a paramecium before.

Free speech is a two-way street. You say something as hostile, offensive and disgusting as your Hitler remark, you are going to get called on it. Everyone who called you on it is exercising speech as well. And by the way, this is not a public forum. No one has free speech rights on someone else’s blog.

Kens, a bunch of us will advocate for you if Mr. B bans you. Those were fighting words you responded to.

Bet he doesn’t know the story of Jesse Owens and how he shamed Hitler in the Olympics either. But what can you expect from an uneducated dolt?

Crooklyn- it seems you are incapable of even comprehending what you said. You’re a sociopath without any intelligence. You’re just another nazi freak and I don’t care what your skin color is. You’re a nazi freak. Freak being the operative word.

Bubble — I guess my white co-worker who went to Tisch and has a rich daddy but hasn’t made one film was just beat down by affirmative action. Why don’t you give it a rest with the racist commentary. You’ve been making it since this thread started. As sad as I find Crooklyn’s Hitler comment, the reality is that people like Bubble make racist comments towards black and latinos every day and it barely registers. No justification, just reality.

talknerdytome- I did say something- twice in fact. BBB is just as wrong. I’m as angry as anyone over the Hitler comments, but that’s no excuse for the affirmative action comments either. But yes, on a day to day, most people don’t even see it.

Talk what did I say that was rascist? You were compliant with the Hitler should have finished the job remark by not saying anything about it and going on and on about hw Jewish people should not get housing

Too late for that expert. Sad thing he would never say it to my face. Last time someone made a Jew comment in person next to me (person didn’t know I was Jewish and this was at a predominantly Turkish bday party), 4 people had to hold me down not to bash his face in.

BBB, don’t even bother. Don’t leave the site because of this. There are a lot of great people here and some of us met plenty of times outside here and everyone that I met is great. If you ever want to come out with the rest of the Brownstoners feel free to join.

You said some things about affirmative action that can strike a nerve with some people even though I hope that you meant it well in context. I would just take that back unless you want to thoroughly explain what you meant.

What loves you cobble. Make him come back. Who would have thought there would come a day when ass hat and ass head would seem like a fun thing to be called?

BBB- I am just as angry as you. We lost family in the Holocaust too. But bringing up affirmative action in this context is offensive and inappropriate too. It may not be on the same level as what Crooklyn said, but why play his game? You’re better than that. And none of this has anything to do with the real issue of housing and the stupidity of greedy politicians.

bubble, your numerous comments about how the only way blacks and latinos get anything is through affirmative action is tiresome and racist. and i specifically said that crooklyn’s hitler comment was sad, because that’s what it is.

How you got the impressions that I went “on and on about how Jewish people shouldn’t get housing” is beyond me. My earlier comment was pretty much a recitation of allegations in lawsuits against NYCHA; lawsuits that NYCHA settled by agreeing to treat people equally, and not based on their race or ethnicity. The fact remains that NYCHA has a long history of favoring whites over blacks and latinos. NYCHA, as a government entity, must comply with the 14th Amendment (you know, to the US Constitution) and not given certain races preferences in housing.

If anyone’s still reading, maybe they should actually look up Spike Lee… I do recall he was the product of a solid upper-middle class household, his father’s Bill Lee, a well-known jazz musician, and his mom was a teacher. He attended St. Ann’s in BH. So obviously he got into NYU on his own merits.

But even if he didn’t, the vast majority of folx that go to NYU film school, or SVA, or RISD, end up without being able to have any impact at all in their line of work, let alone being a major figure like Spike.

thanks people. I gotta check it out Asshathill sound like fun. This whole ban thing is dumb. Why ban then allow others to sneak back in and rant nonstop?

This thread sucks matzo(sp) balls. Let B figure it out. It’s his “living room” like he wrote last year.

That asshole maplewood guy once wrote “I was a ghetto ass wannabe because everyone on brownstoner is from one mold”. The other day this idiot calls an African American kid a “butler” then writes “jeeves fetch me a 40″. There was no cavalry to the rescue or Stoner outcry for a ban.

Jack slade-just got in and only wanted to add that I was only one of several people who called him out on that comment. After awhile it feels like your head wants to explode from the stupidness that gets written here. I don’t care if people want to disagree about politics, health care, if the sky is blue- but what some people actually feel comfortable writing in terms of racism and anti-semitism is appalling. And I’ve made no bones about it.

What is heartening is how many other people will take them to task for it. Maybe those are battles we need to have in public so people don’t think it’s ok to say things like the hitler comment or the butler comment. Maybe some of them will even think next time. (One can hope).